Railway traffic controlling apparatus



May 19, 1931. c. F. STOLTZ RAILWAY TRAFFIC CONTROLLING APPARATUS FiledOct. 29, 1929 vvh INVENTOR'. CR5 2; D It 2.,

I atentecl May 19, 193i T ,STATES' To foFFIcs- CARL IE. S'rQLTZQoFpELHI, 1110, ASSIGNOR" no-THE UNION swr'rcn & sreiml. COMJ PANY, onSWISSVALE,-PENNSYLVANIA,TK conPoRArIoN or PENNSYLVANIA? Runway TRAFFICCONTROLLING APPARATUS Application filed October 29,1929. Serial in,403,2 1. 3

. Myinventionrelates to railway traific conselector'A are twoselectorrelays F and F which arefnormally ole-energized, but which trollingapparatus, and particularly to apparatus of the type comprisingrailwaysignals controlled jointly by track circuits and by remotecontrolled selectors.

One feature of my invention is the provision, in apparatus of thischaracter, of

means for removing the signals fromcontrol by the selector in the eventof failure of the selector or of the transmission line which controlsit, whereby the signals will then function as automatic signals. i i Y Iwill describe one form of apparatus embodying my invention, and willthen point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing .is a diagrammatic view showing ,;one form ofapparatus embodying. my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the, reference.

characters 1 and 1 designate the track rails of a stretchof railwaytrack along whichftraffic moves in bothclirections. This'stretchcomprises a main track A 'and a side track'D connected with themaintrack by a switch The rails of the main track are divided byinsulated joints 2 to form a pluralityof sections, 28-29, 29-30, etc.,fandleachtrack section is provided with a track circuit comprising atrack battery 3 and altrack re'l'aIyT. The track circuit for section30-31 includes the rails of the side track D up to the fouling point. 7I I 7 Located at the point 30 is a signal S governing trafiic movingtoward the right, and located at'the point 31 is another signal Sgoverning trafiic moving toward the left. The latter signal comprisestwo arms-a and b, the former of which is 7 effective when" the switch Eis in its normal position, andthe latter of which is efiective whenthe-switch is in its reverse position. Trafiic from the side track Dinto the main track A'is controlled by another signal 8*: located 7 atthe point 30;

An additional signalS is located at'the point 33 for governing traflic'on'coving toward the left.

The reference character Adesi'gnatesa selector which is controlled froma remote oflice,a pick-up circuit for relay F is closed,

which circuit passes from' t-er'minal B of a suitable sourceof current,through the selector A,wire 34, and the winding of relay F to terminal 0of the same source of'current'.

A stick circuit vfor relay F willthen'become closed, which circuitpasses from terminalB, through the selector A, wire 35, front contact 15of'relay F and the winding of relay F to terminal 0. Q Relay F willthenremain energized until the selector is operated to open this 1 stickcircuit. Relay F is controlled by the selector A in similar manner, butresponds to the operation "ofa different key 'in the despat-chers ofliceEach'rsignal Sis provided with a home relay, designated by the referencecharacterjH with thesameexponent as that of the signal which itcontrols. Each signal is controlled "by theassociated relay H in suchmanner that the signal will give "a stop indicatiLO, when {the relay isde'-energized,land apro ceed indication when'the relay becomesenergized; The

circuits :for the control of the signals' byitlie home relayswillfbeobvious from the drawing', and ti'on; I p i i y v "The home relays H arecontrolled jointly by the selector relays F and the track relaysT, aswell'asby a circuit controller K which is operated by theswitch'EJ Asshown in thedrawing, both relays fE and F are de energiz'ed, so that allof the home relays H are deenergiz'ed, with the exceptionfofrelayHwhiclicontro1s signal 8?.

willitherefore require no explana The circuit'for home, relay, H isfromtermi- Inalsi B,fthrou gh backcontact 13 of relay ng back. Contact14: of relay, Ht, front Contact 9 of trackirela'y T frontfcontact 11ofitrac'k relay T, front Contact 27 of track relay Ti, and the windingof relay H ft'o terminalQ. lt'follows that signal S nor ally gives apieceed indication, whereas, the remaining signals normally indicatestop. f p I w l N w t i le jfie a g epe ated in such manner as to causerelay F to become energized, and I will also assume that switch E is inthe normal position. Home rela H will then become energized by virtue ofa circuit which passes from terminal B, through front contact 12 oftrack relay '1, contact 10 of relay T, contact 6 of relay T, contact 16of relay F contact 24 of circuit controller K, and the Winding of relayH toterminal 0. relay H becomes energized, signal S will be caused togive a proceed indication. If switch E is in the reverse sition whenrelay F becomes energized, ome rela H will become energized instead ofrelay the circuit being the same as before up to contact 24 of circuitcontroller K; the circuit then passes through relay H instead of relay HThis will cause the signal S to give a proceed indication. t

In either event, that is, if either relay H or H becomes energized, thecircuit for home relay H will be opened at back contact 13 of rel H orback contact 14 of relay H, so that signal S will be caused to give astop indication.

I will now assume that the selector A is opcause arm a of signal S togive a proceed indication. If I switch E is in the reverse positioninstead of the normal position, relay H will become energized, and thiswill cause arm 6 oi signal S to give the proceed indication. In eitherevent, the circuit forire'lay H will not be disturbed, and,consequently, signal S will still give a proceed indication. I t c Thecircuits for the home relays H H, HF, and H are provided with shuntsaround the front contacts of the selector relays F and F which shuntsinclude front contacts of it normally de-energized cut-out relay G.Relay G isfprovided with a circuit which includes a normally openmanually operable circuit controller J so that when this circuitcontroller is closed the relay will be energized. Assuming now that bothselector relays F and F are deenergized, and that circuit controller Jis closed to cause relay G to become energized, and also assuming thatall of the track relays shown in the drawing are energized, relay H willbecome energized by virtue of a circuit which is the same as before,exce t that it includes front contact 20 of relay instead of frontcontact 16 of relay F Rela H will also become energized by virtue o acircuit which is the same as before exce t that it includes frontcontact 21 of relay instead of front contact 18 of relay F Signal S andfor normally controlling said signal by arm a or signal S will then bothgiie proceed indications. The circuit previously traced for relay H willthen be opened at contact 13 of relay H but this relay will becomeenergized bfy virtue of an auxiliary circuit which passes rom terminalB, through contact 23 of relay G, contact 9 of relay T contact 11 ofrelay T, contact 27 of relay T and the winding of relay H to terminal 0.It follows that signal S will then u in spite of the fact that relay His energized.

ive a proceed indication Of course, if switch E is in the reverseposition, relay H will be energized instead of relay H and relay H willbe energized instead of relay Hi, with the result that signal S and armb of signal S will give proceed indications.

In the event of failure of the selector A, or of the transmission lineL, or of the apparatus in the despatchers oflice for controlling thisline, circuit controller J may be closed by hand, thereby removing thesignals from control by'the selector A, so that these signals willfunctionas automatic signals controlled by thetrack relays T. In thisconnection it should be noted that under normal operating conditions itis impossible for signals S and S or for signals S and Stosimultaneously give proceed indicationsthereby effecting what is knownin systems of this character as traffic locking. When the cutout relay Gis energized, this trafiic locking is removed, because the back contacts13 and 14 of relays H and H are eliminated from the control of relay Hwith the result that signal S may givea proceed indicationsimultaneously with signal S or S.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form of apparatusembodying my invention, it is understood that various changes andmodifications may be made therein within the scope of the appendedclaims without departing from the spirit and scape of my invention.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination, a section of railway track, a track circuit includinga track relay for said section, a signal governing trafiic through saidsection, a remote controlled selector associated with said signal, meansfor normally controlling said signal by said track relay and saidselector, and. manually operable means for removing said signal fromcontrol by said selector whereby the signal may function as an automaticsignal in the event of failure of the selector or of the line .overwhich it is controlled.

for said section, a signal governing traffic through said section, aremote controlled selector associated with said signal, means said ydetrack relay and said selector, a normal energized cut-out relay, meanseffective when said relay is energized to remove said signal fromcontrol by said selector, and a circuit for said relay including anormally open manually operable circuit controller.

3. In combination, a section of railway track, a track circuit includinga track relay for said section, a signal governing traf fic through saidsection, a remote controlled selector associated withsaid signal, anormally de-energized selector relay, means controlled by said selectorfor energizing saidv selector relay, a controlling circuit for saidsignal including a front contact of saidtrack relay and a front contactof said selector relay in series, a branch for said signalcircuit aroundsaid selector relay contact and cluding a front contact of said trackrelay and a front contact of said selector relay in series, a branch forsaid signal circuit around said selector relay contact, and manuallyoperable means for closing said branch whereby said signal may beremoved from control by said selector.

5. In combination, a stretch of railway track, a track circuit includinga track relay for said stretch, two'signals governing trafiic inopposite directions along said stretch, a remote controlled selector,means for normally controlling said signals by said selector and by saidtrack relay, and manually operable means for removing said signals fromcontrol by said selector whereby the signals may function as automaticsignals.

6. In combination, a stretch of railway track, a track circuit includinga track relay for said stretch, twosignals S and S governing traffic inopposite directions along said stretch, a remote controlled'selector, a

normally de-energized selector relay, means controlled by said selectorfor energizing said controlled by said selector for energizing saidselector relay, a normally de-energized home relay for signal S meansfor normally controlling said home relay by said selector relay and bysaid track relay, a circuit for signal S including a front contact ofsaid track relay and a back contact of said home relay in series, anormally de-energized cutout relay, manually operable means forenergizing said cut-out relay, and means operat ing when said cut-outrelay is energized to remove said home relay from control by saidselector relay and to close a shunt in the circuit for signal S aroundthe back contact of said home relay. 7

8. In combination, astretch of railway track, a track circuit includinga track relay for said stretch, two signals S and S governing traffic inopposite directions along said stretch, a remote controlled selector, anormally de-energized home relay signal S, means for normallycontrolling said home relay by said selector and by said track relay,means for normally controlling signal S by said track relay and by abackcontact of said home relay, and manually operablemeans for removing saidhome relay from I control bysaid selector andremoving signal S fromcontrol by said home relay.

9. In combination, av stretch of railway track, a track circuitincluding a track re lay for said stretch, two signals S and S governingtraflic in opposite directions along, said stretch, a remote controlledselector, a normally de-energized home relay for signal S means fornormally controlling said home relay by said selector and by said trackrelay, means for normally controlling signal S by said track. relay'andby a back contact of said home relay, a-normally- (Lie-energizedcutout relay, manually operable means for-energizing said cut-out relay,and means operat ing when said cut-out relay is energizedto remove saidhome relay from control by said selector and to remove signal S fromcontrol by said home relay. a I In testimony whereofI afiix mysignature. r CARL F. STOLTZ.

selector relay, a normally de-energized'home relay for signal S meansfor normally controlling said home relay by said selector relay and bysaid track relay,'means for nor mally controlling signal S by a backcontact of said home relay and by said track relay, and manuallyoperable means for removing said home relay from control by saidselector relay and for removing signal S from control by said homerelay.

7.In combination, a stretch of railway ice I

